


Kaleidoscope

by tookumade



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 20:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10624407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tookumade/pseuds/tookumade
Summary: Fall in love in five cities.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A short fic written for [" ** _Satellites_** "](https://twitter.com/MatsuHanaZine), a MatsuHana Fanzine.

**MELBOURNE, VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)**  
  
  
“I’m still not sure about Melbourne’s coffee,” Matsukawa says, putting his cup of flat white down. “Everyone says how good it is, and, I mean, it’s _okay_ , but it’s so different to what I drink at home, and I’m not used to it.”  
  
Hanamaki smirks at him over his latte as he leans back comfortably in his chair. He likes this café’s rustic interior design and laid-back ambience.  
  
“You’re clearly lacking finesse. And you’re too picky.”  
  
“I’m surprised _you_ enjoy it so much.”  
  
“Obviously, I’m the refined one.”  
  
Matsukawa snorts. “This hipster culture’s gotten to your head,” he says, grinning. “I should leave you here and continue our trip by myself.”  
  
Hanamaki grins back. “ _Your_ parents, even more than my own, would kick your ass if you ditched me.”  
  
“Unfortunately true. Maybe I’ll ditch you in Malaysia. Blame it on the mosquitos.”  
  
“That’s not funny, jackass, I’m actually worried about those!”  
  
“Well, apparently coffee grounds repels them, so—”  
  
Matsukawa catches the crumpled serviette Hanamaki throws at him, laughing, before they fall into an amicable silence, lost in the café’s hum.  
  
Hanamaki finds he can’t take his eyes off him. It’s the way Matsukawa’s smiling as he watches a tram go by outside, back-lit by the afternoon sun streaming through the window beside them; he looks content, comfortable, warm. For whatever reason, Hanamaki’s heart rate speeds up a little. Weird. Was it the caffeine? Maybe Melbourne’s coffee was a lot stronger than Japan’s? Hanamaki’s never handled too much caffeine very well. He sets his cup down and looks away.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 **GEORGE TOWN, PENANG (MALAYSIA)**  
  
  
“It’s so humid, I can’t breathe,” Hanamaki says with a groan as they make their way down a large street in the evening. “I hope Hong Kong isn’t this humid. How are you enjoying this weather?”  
  
“I’m not,” says Matsukawa cheerfully, “but I’m looking forward to the hawkers’ food.”  
  
Hanamaki sighs. “It’s hard getting you excited about _anything_ , but mention the local food—”  
  
Matsukawa grins. “That’s why we’re here! We talked about travelling for _years_ , and we’re finally _going places_ , so—”  
  
“I’m not used to you being so hyper.”  
  
“I’m just really hungry. Come on!”  
  
And Matsukawa grabs Hanamaki’s shoulders and steers him towards the hawkers’ market at a faster pace.  
  
They are soon surrounded by lights and colours, and stall after stall of dizzying food varieties. The air is full of mouth-watering scents, and there are crowded tables of people everywhere, talking and laughing and eating. Matsukawa looks ecstatic; Hanamaki forgets the humidity.  
  
“Where do you want to go?” Matsukawa asks.  
  
_Anywhere_ , is Hanamaki’s immediate thought. The two of them exploring the world like they said they would during high school, up until now, years later, when they finally cemented plans to start. _Anywhere_. Anywhere he could see Matsukawa’s face light up like this as they explored new places. _Anywhere at all._  
  
“You wanted laksa, right?” says Hanamaki.  
  
“Those meat skewers look good, though.”  
  
“Which ones?”  
  
“All of them.”  
  
“How did you go from being picky as shit in Melbourne to _this?_ ”  
  
Matsukawa grins. “Our definitions of finesse are obviously very different.”  
  
“You’re unbelievable.”  
  
“You wouldn’t swap me for anyone.”  
  
He’s right.  
  
Hanamaki sighs loudly. “Well, I _guess_ if I have to be stuck with someone in this humidity, having you around is _kind of_ okay.”  
  
Snickering, Matsukawa jostles him playfully; Hanamaki knows the feeling is mutual.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 **TSIM SHA TSUI, KOWLOON (HONG KONG)**  
  
  
“Two days we’ve been here, and we still haven’t eaten any egg waffles. _Tragic_.”  
  
“We’ll get there; we’ve been eating other things non-stop.”  
  
“Our priorities are _skewed_ , Matsukawa! Egg waffles should’ve been the most important thing!”  
  
“You give me shit about getting excited over the local delicacies, but _you_ —”  
  
“So, we agree egg waffles are a delicacy?”  
  
Matsukawa groans. Hanamaki, snickering, turns his attention to the psychedelic lights of Hong Kong Island’s many buildings across the bay. They had been bantering as they waited for the nightly light show to begin, and it was a much-needed lull in their trip—they had spent so much time sight-seeing and shopping, it felt like they hadn’t had a moment to stop and breathe. He loves these moments.  
  
The light show begins with a drum beat, and they start to attention. The accompanying song is a lively orchestral piece; colourful lights jump up the sides of a handful of buildings in time to the music, like sound bars; searchlights and bright green lasers fan out from the rooftops of other skyscrapers. Parts of the song seem to be in time with Hanamaki’s heartbeat. He glances at Matsukawa, watching the lights with a content smile.  
  
And it suddenly strikes Hanamaki just how closely they’re standing beside each other. It’s not unusual, they do it all the time, but _here, right now,_ for whatever reason, Hanamaki has never been so conscious of it.  
  
He wonders when he started thinking so much—when he became so _aware_ of Matsukawa and started noticing these things about him, why they made Hanamaki feel so _warm_. Not for the first time, Hanamaki finds he can’t take his eyes off him, even with the bursts of colourful lights before them. He thinks about all the places they could travel to in the future— _anywhere at all in the world_ —and wonders which of those could bring out Matsukawa’s warm smile again. If he could, he wanted to be there for every moment.  
  
_Oh_.  
  
Hanamaki turns back to the light show.  
  
_Oh, I understand, now._  
  
The light show soon ends. There’s applause from the audience, softened by the open vastness of the harbour. Hanamaki and Matsukawa look at each other and grin. Hanamaki thinks he’s left a bit of his heart here.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 **HAKATA, FUKUOKA (JAPAN)**  
  
  
Hanamaki, leaning against the third level’s railing at the Canal City Hakata shopping complex, looks up as Matsukawa joins him. “Did you find the bag?”  
  
“Out of stock.” Matsukawa peers over the railing, down at the canal and all its lights. The half-hourly light show that’s playing at the complex is a colourful _One Piece_ tribute; they’ve watched it four times already. Matsukawa’s face had brightened like a child’s at the sight of it greeting them as they entered the complex, and Hanamaki couldn’t help but laugh and take a photo of him.  
  
As one, they both sigh and hang their arms over the railing. The Kyushu leg of their trip has been relatively easy-going and much less stressful, being back amongst familiar language. Because there are fewer distractions, Hanamaki finds himself thinking more about… well, Matsukawa. It’s nothing that hasn’t already crossed his mind over the duration of their trip, but—  
  
Matsukawa catches Hanamaki looking at him, and returns an expression that’s simply _fond_ , and Hanamaki thinks, again, he’s left a piece of his heart here too.  
  
—he knows for certain, now.  
  
“What?” says Matsukawa.  
  
Hanamaki shrugs and smiles. “This trip went by too quickly.”  
  
“Yeah… maybe we should’ve spent more time in Hong Kong… eaten more egg waffles.”  
  
“I _knew_ you’d appreciate them.”  
  
Shaking his head and grinning, Matsukawa tucks his arms close and hunches over to half-bury his face into them; Hanamaki follows suit, their elbows now touching.  
  
“It’s been good, though,” says Matsukawa with a wistfulness in his voice.  
  
“It has,” Hanamaki agrees. And then, with his pulse speeding up a little: “When we get home, there’s a special place I want to show you.”  
  
“Yeah?” Matsukawa gives him a curious look, but Hanamaki doesn’t elaborate, and Matsukawa doesn’t press. Below, the _One Piece_ light show starts playing again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 **SENDAI, MIYAGI (JAPAN)**  
  
  
“Hanamaki,” says Matsukawa exasperatedly. “Tell me why we’re walking up the mountain at seven at night? We haven’t even had dinner yet.”  
  
Admittedly, Hanamaki had forgotten about eating first. He feels a twinge of guilt.  
  
“I just want to show you something.”  
  
“The ‘special place’ you mentioned in Hakata? What’s there to see that we haven’t seen already?” Matsukawa gestures to the path before them.  
  
“Aren’t you meant to be patient? Since our overseas trip, you’ve become a changed man!”  
  
Matsukawa bends down to pick up a few stray leaves and lobs them in Hanamaki’s direction.  
  
It’s true, they know this mountain well—all those hours spent jogging together along the trails to keep fit for volleyball during high school; continuing on through university, because some habits are hard to break; after university, because it’s a familiar routine they don’t want to let go of.  
  
Maybe they’re scared of breaking routine, Hanamaki thinks. Maybe stopping these jogs is too daunting an option. It’s not like he gets to see Matsukawa every day—a few hours less every week would…  
  
He would hate that.  
  
Caught up in his thoughts, they almost miss the point Hanamaki had wanted. He grabs Matsukawa’s sleeve and tugs him towards a gap between some trees, to one of the more hidden lookout points. Pushing aside some overgrown branches, they look up and—  
  
Sendai city sprawls before them, a soft dusk view. It’s not yet nightfall, but the city is slowly lighting up, glittering like jewels, and the sky is a cloudy palette of muted blues and pinks.  
  
“ _Oh_ ,” Matsukawa breathes.  
  
“I don’t think we’ve ever gone up the mountain at night,” says Hanamaki. “The latest we stay is probably around sunset, but… I thought this might be nice.”  
  
“I can’t believe we’ve never seen it like this before,” says Matsukawa. “I guess we just get so caught up with other things…”  
  
Hanamaki points to his right. “Aoba Jousai’s over there—that cluster of lights? And you can see Lawson’s nearby.”  
  
“There’s the library.” Matsukawa points. “And… is that your house?”  
  
“And there’s yours.”  
  
They continue pointing out familiar places. Eventually, it becomes harder and harder to differentiate between the lights, but they make it up as the sky gets darker and the city brighter.  
  
“That’s the restaurant we went to for Watari’s birthday.”  
  
“The bright patch is the big sports store.”  
  
“That dark bit is Kindaichi’s house. I guess they’re out?”  
  
They fall quiet once they run out of places. Hanamaki chances a look at Matsukawa, staring out over the city with a familiar, warm smile on his face.  
  
And Hanamaki thinks of all the places he’s left his heart: in their school’s gymnasiums after volleyball practice; on school rooftops during lunchtimes, sitting beside Matsukawa; at Matsukawa’s house where Hanamaki tries giving up on homework but Matsukawa won’t let him; in Melbourne, in George Town, in Tsim Sha Tsui, in Hakata; by sun-lit café tables, by hawker stalls, by the waterfront, by lights too plentiful to count; in Sendai, a city they would always call home.  
  
Hanamaki’s chest feels tight; it must be a side-effect of leaving pieces of his heart in too many places. He knows he’ll never get those back.  
  
(That’s fine, though.)  
  
“We should save up and travel again,” he says. “I was thinking South America. And everyone talks about Europe, so…”  
  
“If it’s with you…” Matsukawa begins, and when Hanamaki looks at him, his voice quietens and he stares steadfastly out over the city. “I wouldn’t care where we go.” And then, even quieter: “I want to see the world with you.”  
  
_There_. Hanamaki’s heart skips out of rhythm and suddenly, he’s breathless, almost dizzy, and _god_ , he lived for these moments. If he could have _anything_ , from _anywhere_ in the world, it would be this.  
  
“Funny,” he says. “I was thinking the same thing. We should… have dinner and discuss our new travel plans soon.”  
  
With a smile now playing at his lips, Matsukawa raises his eyebrows in mock-surprise. “Hanamaki Takahiro, are you asking me out on a _date?_ ”  
  
Hanamaki’s smiling too, because how could he not? “Can’t think of anyone else I’d rather date and see the world with. What do you think?”  
  
Matsukawa takes a slow, deep breath and exhales comfortably. When they finally look at each other, they speak volumes wordlessly, and Hanamaki knows he leaves another piece of his heart here, with Matsukawa, in this moment.  
  
“Yeah,” Matsukawa says. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 


End file.
